Sheet-metal construction



H. A. THOMAS.

SHEET METAL cousmucnow.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 3 I919.

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Patented July 20, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

I- IARRY A. THOMAS, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, AS'SIGNOR TO MARGERIE THOMAS, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

SHEET-METAL CONSTRUCTION.

Specification of Letters Patent. 7

Patented July 20,1920.

Application filed November 3, 1919. Serial No. 335,290.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY THOMAS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented cer- .tain new and useful Improvements in fitting co-acting member, in the formation of a hammered joint, in roofing or other similar sheet metal work.

Generally stated, the invention consists in treating or operating on a strip of sheet metal by and through a series of successively advancing bending or pressing steps, through operative mechanism, whereby to gradually change the plane shape of the blank to the desired form by continuous operation on the blank through a series of steps or treatments, as hereinafter described.

In the drawings,

Fi ure 1 is a view in elevation of a series of pairs of rolls arranged for the carrying out of the several successive operative steps;

Fig. 2 is an inclusive view comprising the series of said rolls as to their groove formation;

Fig. 3 is an inclusive view of the cross sectional construction of the blank at points corresponding to each of the several roll treatments throughout;

Fig. & is a vertical sectional view on the line IV-IV of Fig. l;

Fig. 5 is a similar view on the line VV of Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged cross sectional cletail view showing the blank in its finished form ready for connection with another coacting sheet metal member; and

Fig. '7 is a cross sectional view showing the two parts in connected operative position.

In carrying out my invention I utilize a series of pairs of rolls aa, bb, 00, d-d,

e-e, f gg, and /L-]L, mounted by their carrying spindles 2 and 8 respectively in suitable hearings in a housing frame 4 of proper construction, Spindles 2 and 3 are driven in opposite directions by intermeshing gearing and driving'gearing 6 of any suitable form. One of the spindles as 2, is mounted in a journal box 7 having a temper screw 8 for adjustment of one of the rolls, as a with relation to its other co-acting roll, so as to accurately locate the rolls with the necessary intervening pass.

As'shown, the contour of the several sets of rolls is such as to gradually change the cross section of the flat blank, as clearly i11- dicatcd in Fig. 3, through the several steps of operation, the first of which forms the comparatively shallow V shaped depression a in the blank. The second operation further bends the blank to provide the deeper depression and more abrupt shoulder F), which treatment is carried still further in the third step, as indicated at c. The fourth pair of rolls is so constructed, as shown, as to form the blank with a right angled shoulder, as indicated at (Z. The fifth and sixth operations carry forward the bending operation so as to change the right angled shouldered form to successively accentuated Z shapes, as indicated at c and f respectively. The rolls e@ and ff for these two opera tions are preferably located as to their mounting and operation at right angles to the previous rolls aa, bb, c0, and (Zr-(Z, so that the blank in passing between them is treated in the easiest and most convenient way. After passing between rolls f-f, the metal has been bent into an accentuated Z form, the operation drawing the sides together, and it is now ready to be flattened down to provide the reversed double rib formation, as indicated at g. This is done between the flat faced rolls gg mounted in the same manner as rolls a to 65, rolls gg being placed sufiiciently far apart so as to press the metal together with ample intervening space between the several thicknesses, as clearly shown. The corners of the rolls are rounded or filleted as shown, either convex or concave, so as to insure the final rounded bends of the finished product, as

shown at g, h, Fig. 3.

The finalstep of the operation, Which is to bring the two plane edges into alinement, and at one side of the double and flattened parallel rib, is accomplished by rolls l b-+7}, one of which is centrally channeled as ind1- cated, the other being plane. T he centrally channeled roll is depressed at its middle portion just sufficient to provide clearance for I the projecting bend over flattened rib or ried out continuously and in a long blankall at the same time, 0., the final step being operated upon the advanclng end 'of the blank while the first step 1s being operated on the trailing end of the blank,.so that it emerges finally from the simultaneously operating steps 1n finished form.

In Fig. 6 I show the final form of the.

blank in position ready for attachment and connection with the eo-acting member 9,

having the right angled leg 10 which is inserted in the space 11 between the parallel double rib member 12 and the'main back 13. The terminal 14: of said back is then bent over at right angled position, as indicated, in the manner of the hammer joint above referred to, whereby the two parts are fixedly attached together and a permanent water proof joint is provided.

The resulting construction, due to the integral formation of the main blank, its facility for connection. with the supplemental sheet, the absence of any excessive rupturing strains in the gradually changing several steps, the speed of operation,

7 economy of construction, and general advantages of the invention, are features of importance and. novelty in the art, and greatly contribute to the e'fiiciency and desirability of the operation. V r It will be understood that the degree of deflection at each various step, the specific cross section of the shape and various other features of detail construction as to the mechanism utilized, or in other respects, may. be ?changed or varied by the skilled mechanic, but'that all such changes are to be considered as within the scope of the following claims. v I

What I claim is: Y

1. In the formationof a member, the gradual deflection of a fiat blank by a series of simultaneously operating contimious rolling treatments of a movable blank to provide first a V-shaped groove, then a right angled shoulder, then an acutely reversed Z formation with rounded corners, and "then flattening the offset double rib thus formed to parallelism with the main blank with intervening clearance.

2. In the formation of a sheet metal joint member, the gradual deflection of a fiat blank by a series ofsimultaneously operating continuous rollingtreatments of a movable blank to provide first a vV -shaped groove, then a right angled shoulder, then an acutely reversed 2 formation with rounded corners, and then flattening the offset double rib thus formed to, parallelism with r the main,v blank with intervening clearance,

and then further bending one side of the blank to parallelism withthe other side.

In testimony whereof I hereuntoailix my signature.

HARRY A; THOMAS.

sheet metal joint 

